Course Calendar

• Lectures: MW11-12:30 (6-120)
  
• Recitation: F11 (1-190)
  
• Office hours: See Piazza.
  

We will cover the following topics in applied cryptography: introduction/review, post-quantum-secure encryption & applications (private information retrieval and fully homomorphic encryption), cryptographic proof systems, multi-party computation, cryptanalysis & computationally hard problems and project presentations. See the course overview for details on the course content and prerequisites.

Textbook: This course will not use a textbook. (Most of the topics we will teach are too new to appear in textbooks.) Ron Rivest has compiled a comprehensive list of readings on cryptography and computer security. If you are interested in going deeper into any topic, or if you need ideas for your final project, these references are a great place to start.

Course policies: Please read them carefully. You are responsible for knowing and following all of the policies—especially the collaboration policy and the policy on AI assistants (GPT and friends). Please do not make us sad, and yourself even more sad, by violating the collaboration policy.

Warning: We may change any content on this website, including the calendar, at any time.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
feb 3🎬 Lecture 1, ? Overview of crypto; Overview of class, Why post-quantum crypto? First day of classes	feb 4 Published: Pset 1	feb 5🎬 Lecture 2, ? AES	feb 6	feb 7 Recitation 1, ?? Review session DUE: Review course policies. DUE: Read about final project
feb 10🎬 Lecture 3, ? Symmetric Encryption: Construction from PRF	feb 11	feb 12🎬 Lecture 4, ? Public-key Encryption: Constructions from LWE (Regev)	feb 13	feb 14 Recitation 2, ?? x DUE: Pset 1 DUE: Post final project idea on Piazza
feb 17🎬 Presidents' day	feb 18 Lecture 5, ?? PIR from LHE Published: Pset 2 Monday classes held	feb 19🎬 Lecture 6, ?? PIR extensions	feb 20	feb 21 Recitation 3, kc Choosing a project topic DUE: Project proposal
feb 24🎬 Lecture 7, ?? Public-key encryption and its implementation	feb 25	feb 26🎬 Lecture 8, ? FHE - Part I	feb 27	feb 28 Recitation 4, ?? LWE and PIR DUE: Pset 2
mar 3🎬 Lecture 9, hcg FHE - Part II Discuss your project with TAs	mar 4 Published: Pset 3 Discuss your project with TAs	mar 5🎬 Lecture 10, hcg Proof systems intro Discuss your project with TAs	mar 6 Discuss your project with TAs	mar 7 Recitation 5, ?? Complexity and FHE review DUE: By this date, meet with a TA to discuss your project Discuss your project with TAs
mar 10🎬 Lecture 11, ?? Sumcheck	mar 11	mar 12🎬 Lecture 12, ?? GKR	mar 13	mar 14 Recitation 6, sw x DUE: Pset 3
mar 17🎬 Lecture 13, ?? SNARGs for NP	mar 18	mar 19🎬 Lecture 14, hcg Lattice-based signatures	mar 20	mar 21 Recitation 7, ?? x DUE: Project check in
mar 24🎬 Spring break	mar 25 Spring break	mar 26🎬 Spring break	mar 27 Spring break	mar 28 Spring break
mar 31🎬 Lecture 15, ? Secret sharing Discuss your project with TAs	apr 1 Discuss your project with TAs	apr 2🎬 Lecture 16, ? MPC: Intro and definition Discuss your project with TAs	apr 3 Discuss your project with TAs	apr 4 Recitation 8, ?? Review - commitment schemes, secret sharing DUE: By this date, meet with a TA to discuss your project Discuss your project with TAs
apr 7🎬 Lecture 17, ? MPC: BGW construction	apr 8 Published: Pset 4	apr 9🎬 Lecture 18, yk MPC: Applications	apr 10	apr 11 Recitation 9, ?? x DUE: Project check in
apr 14🎬 Lecture 19, ? Preprocessing attacks	apr 15	apr 16🎬 Midterm quiz	apr 17	apr 18 Recitation 10, ?? x DUE: Pset 4
apr 21🎬 Patriots' day	apr 22 DROP DATE	apr 23🎬 Lecture 20, guest ??	apr 24	apr 25
apr 28🎬 Lecture 21, guest ??	apr 29	apr 30🎬 Project presentations	may 1	may 2
may 5🎬 Project presentations	may 6	may 7🎬 Project presentations	may 8	may 9
may 12🎬 Project presentations	may 13 DUE: Final project report Last day of classes	may 14	may 15	may 16
may 19 Final exam period	may 20 Final exam period	may 21 Final exam period	may 22	may 23

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